The BIG8051 is a full-featured development system for Silicon Labs C8051Fxxx microcontrollers. It has several on-board modules that help you to create your prototype device easily. A C8051F040 microcontroller is included on a plug-in module.

The system comes with the Silicon Labs USB Debug Adapter for programming/debugging of the MCU. Note that the included 8051Flash programming software does not support the Silicon Labs MCU. Download the Silicon Labs Simplicity Studio or IDE from the links provided below.

The board has a variety of on-board modules, including Serial Ethernet, Serial Flash, Serial RAM, Serial EEPROM, MMC/SD card, CAN, USB-UART, two RS232 connectors, and more. All microcontroller pins are available through IDC10 port connectors, so you can easily attach other peripherals to your board.

Note: The picture shows two optional displays (with blue backgrounds) and an optional RF module (red PCB) connected to the board for illustration purposes. See the Optional Recommended Products list at the bottom of this page to add these to your order.

8051 Development Board Features

What's on board

C8051F040 MCU

The C8051F040 features 23 MIPS performance, 64kB Flash, 12-bit DAC, CAN, SM Bus, and other peripherals. It comes on a removable MCU card, so you could design your own MCU card with either C8051F042, C8051F044 or C8051F046.

Serial Ethernet module

This module with RJ45 connector allows your application to have Ethernet connectivity.

Piezo buzzer

Buzzer is driven with a transistor circuit that boosts output signal to appropriate levels.

JTAG/C2 connector

IDC10 male connector for attaching the included Silicon Labs programmer/debugger.

USB-UART module

USB connector attached to an FTDI FT232RL chip allows you to communicate with a PC or other UART device.

RS232 connectors

Two DB9F connectors with necessary voltage levels created with MAX3232 chips.

DS1820 socket

A socket is provided for installing a Dallas DS1820 digital temperature sensor which can measure from -55°C to +125°C. See the options below to add a sensor to your order.

RF module pads

Pads are available for soldering a Microchip MRF24J40MA ZigBee RF module. See the options below to add the module to your order.

2×16-character LCD connector

A connector and spacer is provided for adding an alphanumeric display with backlight. You can purchase the display using the options below.

128×64-pixel GLCD & Touchpanel connectors

A connector and spacer also is provided for a graphical LCD. A touchpanel controller and connector is on board too. You can purchase a graphical display with touchpanel using the options below.

GLCD/LCD contrast control

Two potentiometers allow you to control the contrast of the GLCD and LCD individually.

Comparator potentiometers

Test your program with on-chip comparator by using potentiometers connected to CP0+ and CP0- pins.

CAN support

The board contains an MCP2551 CAN controller and a screw terminal so you can implement CAN communication with your device.

Power supply regulator

Regulator provides stable voltage and current levels to all on-board modules. Power input is through the USB-UART or a barrel jack that accepts 9-32V DC or 7-23V AC. A jumper allows you to select which power input to use. There is a power switch to turn off the board too.

MMC/SD card slot

You can store large amounts of data externally on an MMC/SD card using SPI communication.

Reset button

The reset circuit ensures safe reset of the microcontroller.

Serial Flash memory

Store up to 8 Mbits of data in the M25P80 serial Flash memory with SPI.

Serial RAM

The 23K640 serial RAM allows you to store variables and temporary calculation results, keeping on-chip RAM free for other purposes.

Serial EEPROM

You can store 8×256 bytes of configuration or other data on the 24AA01 serial EEPROM with I2C interface.

ADC input

You can attach four analog inputs using high-quality ADC input screw terminals connected to the microcontroller's CH0 through CH3 analog channels.

DAC output

Convert digital signals to analog voltage levels using the 12-bit MCP4921 chip with SPI. It has two DAC channels and is connected to output screw terminals.

PORT0 ~ PORT7 I/O

For each of these I/O ports, the board includes 2×5 male pin headers, DIP switches to enable pull-up or pull-down resistors on any desired port pin, a push button on each port pin, and an SMD LED on each port pin (that's 64 buttons and 64 LEDs).

Silkscreen

All pins and switch functions are silkscreened on both the front and back of the PCB.

Software Examples

The included DVD-ROM contains the following example software, both as ready-to-load compiled code and as source code written in C, BASIC and Pascal. Demo versions of mikroElektronika's compilers for 8051 (with 2K size limit) are included too. The source codes provide detailed explanatory comments. Note that some of the demos require optional hardware, e.g. the LCDs and temperate sensor.

UART1, UART2 and USB-UART examples.

Wireless and Ethernet examples.

LCD, LED, and Piezo Buzzer examples.

Serial RAM, Flash and EEPROM examples.

1-wire Temperature Sensor examples.

Graphic LCD example.

DAC, ADC and Comparator examples.

Package contents

The board ships with a USB Debug Adapter, USB cable, printed documentation, and a DVD-ROM that contains drivers, example code, and demo versions of the mikroC, mikroBASIC and mikroPascal compilers for 8051.

You must download either Simplicity Studio or the Silicon Labs IDE to program the included MCU using the included Silicon Labs USB Debug Adapter. Neither of these applications is included on the CD-ROM that ships with the board.

Expansion Modules

There are more than 170 add-on boards you can find in the mikroElektronika Accessory Boards category and its subcategories. One of the subcategories contains accessory boards that plug directly into the IDC10 headers on the BIG8051.